I commute on Caltrain from San Francisco to Palo Alto five days a week, all year long. Integral to my commute is the bike parking service and bike shop business offered by Warm Planet Bikes. The fact the bike parking is staffed means peace of mind that my bike is in good hands while I’m at work.

If Warm Planet closed and the free bike parking were to be removed, I would instead likely choose to drive to the 22nd Street station and ride to Palo Alto, or I would drive all the way to Palo Alto and skip the train entirely.Caltrain, please keep Warm Planet Bikes open and allow them to continue offering commuters to and from San Francisco a green and affordable alternative to driving. This offering sets San Francisco as world class in green commuting options.

Annie ValdesSan Francisco

Put government in control

Mike Luckovich’s Monday editorial cartoon has a priest warning his parishioners the government wants to take over their hospitals and universities, then chagrined at their response, admonishing them his warning wasn’t supposed to be an applause line.

But why not? After such notable successes as Amtrak, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the North American Free Trade Agreement, undeclared wars, bailouts and job creation, isn’t the whole nation waiting for government to become the supplier of everything else?

At the top of my list would be: mutual funds, fast foods, soft drinks, recreational drugs and video games. Just a thought.

Alan NevlingSan Francisco

Common sense on roads

After watching the debate between motorists and bicyclists play out on the editorial pages, I felt I had to chime in with something that was totally missed by all sides in this argument — common sense.

While there is no mistaking there is poor behavior by drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike, the point that is ignored is we ALL have a responsibility to each other and to obey the laws.

If somebody fails to obey the law, that failure usually results in somebody getting hurt or killed. So, please, let’s all show a little common sense and civility by stopping, watching who is coming which way and obeying the law. Yes, this applies to pedestrians, too, some who will simply continue walking through a crosswalk without looking to see if somebody already has the right of way.

Edmund LeeSan Francisco

Fix transit lane markings

Maybe the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency needs to look at painting transit lanes first instead of installing cameras on buses.

It can be difficult for drivers to figure out what lanes are reserved for public transit vehicles and taxis. Painting the lanes would be a major improvement in traffic control.